1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of using permanent magnet devices to provide magnetic energy to heal the human body of afflictions. More particularly, it relates to the application of permanent magnets to improve the condition of the eyes, such as to provide relaxation, overcome tiredness, and create good feeling in the eyes.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Permanent magnets have a remarkable ability to work with A almost any other treatment modality to reinforce it by providing a synergistic effect. However, permanent magnets work well by themselves, too.
The most common use of magnets is for pain relief, for which naturally charged permanent magnets have been used since antiquity. In 1997, Baylor University College of Medicine conducted a study using modern magnets that were naturally charged to high field strengths. The results of this study gave credibility to the use of externally charged permanent magnets in the treatment of pain. There is an improvement when such magnets are applied to humans, e.g., in devices to accelerate the healing of human bones. Magnets also find use in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), where a large circular magnet determines the magnetic bearings of a number of atom nuclei in the patient""s body.
A strong opinion in current permanent magnet application maintains that the negative or north-seeking pole produces the greatest benefit and is the safest polarity to use. This is combined with the belief that the earth""s magnetic field is an essentially negative field and that the polarity of normal human cells is negative, but that illness changes it to positive.
Therefore, to reverse this condition negative poles are used in proximity to the subject, and furthermore, the effect is believed to become stronger as the magnetic flux density is increased. This leads to-use of the strongest possible magnetic poles.
There have, however, been indications that application of purely negative pole magnetism does not achieve the best effect regardless of pole strength. The present invention overcomes this deficiency by the use of permanent magnets with both negative and positive polarities.
In the application of magnets to the human eye there exist plastic frame spectacles with small magnets embedded in the bridge and rims of the frame. Such peripheral magnets are not close enough to the eye to exercise a beneficial effect.
The present invention has for its object an improvement on the use of peripheral magnets for the human eye. The invention provides permanent magnets with dual polarity immediately in front of the eye, in combination with eye glasses.
This invention is a combination of bi-polar permanent magnets and eyeglasses in which magnets with generally circular peripheries are placed concentrically into the rims of a pair of eye glasses. In this way the magnets are mounted immediately in front of the eyes for an optimum effect. The matching eyeglasses (spectacles or goggles) can have circular rims.
The magnets are of two types: (1) solid cylinders with a single large central coaxial hole, and (2) thin flexible circular disks with a single large central hole or a plurality of small holes uniform over the disk. In case (1) one of the two opposite flat faces is a negative pole and the other a positive pole. In case (2) with a single large central hole, too, one flat face is a, negative pole and the opposite face is a positive pole. In case (2) with a plurality of small holes there are alternating negative and positive poles throughout the area of the disk magnet.
In case (1) the cylinder magnet is mounted centrally on the transparent eyeglass lens which can remain intact so that the eye looks out through the lens material; or the lens may be perforated with a central circular hole, so that the magnet is mounted on the lens periphery and the eye looks out through air in the center.
For closeness to the eye, the cylinder magnet is mounted on the inside of the lens facing the eye. For a greater effect a second identical cylinder magnet is placed on the outside of the lens in line with the first magnet. In this arrangement the poles on the magnet faces next to the lens are unlike,i.e., one negative and one positive, so that they attract each other and the second, outside, magnet will stay in place without any structural attachment. Alternatively, either a single magnet, or a pair of magnets attached to each other by magnetic force (as above), can be mounted on the side of the lens facing away from the eye.
In case (2) the circular disk magnets are mounted on the circular rims in place of the eyeglass lenses. With the single large circular hole, the disk is flat or slightly curved. With the plurality of small holes, the disk is oversize to accommodate a small or large curvature symmetrically around the center. The curvature assists the structural integrity of the magnet-eyeglass combination.
The magnet material can be ferrite, ceramic or a rare earth alloy, such as neodymium iron boron. The magnetic field strength varies from 400 to 1000 gauss. The magnets for this invention are commercially available from supply houses such as OMS Medical Supplies, Braintree, Mass.; Nikken Company, Irvine, Calif.; or Magnet Sales and Manufacturing Inc., Culver City, Calif. The flexible disk magnets are available with a gold foil covering.
The outer diameters of the magnets must fit within the selected eyeglass rim diameters and range typically from about 1.15 inch to about 2.0 inch. For type (1), the hole diameters range typically from about 0.3 inch (400 gauss) to about 0.7 inch (1000 gauss); and the the axial width typically from about 0.2 inch to about 0.4 inch. For type (2), the sheet thickness ranges typically from about 0.07 inch to 0.08 inch; the single hole diameter ranges typically from about 0.3 inch to about 0.7 inch; and the multiple hole diameter typically from about 0.05 inch to about 0.08 inch.
When a subject wears this eyeglass combination with permanent magnets, magnetic flux is conducted into the musculature of the eyes and to the eyes themselves to counteract tiredness of the eyes, relax the eyes, and provide good feeling to the eyes.
The use of the glasses should be from 10 to 20 minutes, once or twice a day, such as once in the morning and once in the evening. The eyeglass-magnet combination can be worn while walking at home, sitting and reading, watching television, with eyes closed or in bed before sleeping or after waking.
Additional benefits from such use of the eyeglass-magnet combination may include improved vision because the eyes become more relaxed and energized, possibly by increased circulation of the blood. Also, there may occur improvement in eye disorders, such as myopia, glaucoma, cataracts, dryness, watery eyes, and difficulty in driving at night.